Sept. 10, 2013
September 10, 2013
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Junior wide receiver Nick Jones
On coming off the loss
It was kind of humbling for us, because everybody knew the hype we had. All our goals are still out there. It kind of makes us more hungry and want to prove everybody wrong. So everybody thinks it’s the normal USC, so we just want to prove everybody wrong.
On pressure being relieved after loss to Georgia
(The pressure) might be a little off, but I don’t think we pay attention to the pressure. We just try to take one game at a time, but things happen so we have to move on from it.
On the underdog role
Dating back from my high school days being a teammate of Marcus (Lattimore), I have been kind of overlooked. I don’t mind it at all. It kind of makes me want to be better than what people think, so I kind of love it.
On getting open on the field
I think I am good at reading defenses. My route running is always something I was working on since I started playing. That’s one of the things I think I am good at. I am not the tallest guy in the world, but that is why I mentioned that my route running has to be very, very intact. I am not just going to go over anybody to go get the ball. So I have separated myself, from my route running and my speed and getting in and out of my breaks and cuts.
Junior Spur Sharrod Golightly
On compensating for size after replacing big players
It’s the same defense, just different names behind the defense. I feel like we have the same capability we have always had, just have to show it on the field.
On rebounding from the Georgia game
When you get knocked down, you’ve got to get back up. We have a sense of urgency now. We always have. I think this is going to be a big week to bounce back. I just look forward to it.
On DJ Swearinger and other former leaders
We have leaders in our group, and we just have to be a little more vocal and speak up on the little stuff during practice. Yesterday that was an emphasis, too, and we are going to work on that.
Sophomore Tailback Mike Davis
On overlooking Vanderbilt
We look at everybody as an elite team. We don’t take anybody lightly. Vanderbilt has been a team on the uprise. They have done a great job in recruiting and getting those guys prepared to play us. We played them last year, [and it] was a close game. We only won by three points, so we don’t take anybody lightly.
On averaging 9.4 yards per carry and getting more carries going forward
That’s not up to me. That’s up to the coaches. If they want to give me more than 20 carries, then that is what they will do. But whatever the coaches are for, I am for it, too.
On looking toward Saturday after the loss in Athens
I think we are all looking at [playing Vanderbilt] as a statement game. Everyone’s angry, and we want to take it out on someone else. No one is chill; no one is laidback; no one is laughing about it. Some people even took it as an embarrassment. But I would say that we have a lot of people who are angry and ready to play against Vanderbilt.
Senior Offensive Guard Ronald Patrick
On defending the defense against criticism
We all know we are in this together. If anything, when one side is doing better than the other, we pick each other up on the field. We don’t stay on the field just talking defense or offense. We are all in this together.
On being the leader
I definitely feel that I have to be [the leader]. Being a senior, they look for me. Without a doubt, I feel like I have to be that guy. On the other hand, I have experienced guys around me, but yes, I look to be that guy.
On blocking for Marcus Lattimore compared to Mike Davis
They both have their different styles. I would definitely say Mike has brought a different style of running. I find myself during plays, after he breaks all the runners, I find myself watching him. The way he plays is amazing. He has some wheels on him.
On his eye injury
I was scared. I mean when something happens like that to me – I just prayed about it. I put it in God’s hands, and when I was able to get back I looked at it as a second opportunity. You know it’s just a kind of blessing to play a sport you love, so it’s definitely an opportunity I don’t want to take for granted.
Head Coach Steve Spurrier
On Coaches Curing Kids Cancer support
As you can see I have got on a whistle. This game is our game we are trying to bring awareness of fighting children’s cancer. So our coaches, I think, are all going to wear this whistle or one like this in warm-ups before the ballgame. Wristbands, our players will have to wear also. We are encouraging all our Gamecocks to do whatever we can in the fight against children’s cancer. This is the game this week against Vanderbilt. We do have a helmet sticker also that will be on the helmets.
Opening Statement
Vanderbilt is a good team. James Franklin and his staff really do a good job; they really do. Their players are well disciplined, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes in coverages. They are where they are supposed to be all the time. That’s one big reason they have won so many games the past couple years. Won nine last year, and of course, they played us down the wire at Nashville in the opening game. We were very fortunate to get out of there with a 17-13 win, as we were fortunate in a lot of games to get out. But they are coming in here looking to beat. I read that they haven’t beaten us, Georgia or Florida yet, and they think this is the year that they are going to beat some of the top-three teams in the [SEC] East. Hopefully, it’s not this week. But they are a good team, we’ve got to play well. Obviously we have got to play better than last time out, I think, to have a chance against Vandy. Hopefully, we will. We had a lot of breakdowns. We had a bad coaching game last game as we all know. Starts with me, I am responsible for everything that goes on around here, and we didn’t look very good. So we are going to get our guys lined up in the right place and let them go play and see if we can’t play a lot better against Vanderbilt this week. But again, our fans need to come with a screaming and yelling attitude. We are 1-1. There are a whole bunch of teams that have lost a game. It’s early in the year, and hopefully, we have learned a lot from our last game so that hopefully we can correct a lot of flaws we have in our team. I think these players can play a lot better than we played the last time out, and it is our jobs as coaches to put them in position to let them play. So we are trying to do that this week, and we are looking forward to the game Saturday. Shouldn’t be a hot-screamin’ night, so the weather should be nice for everybody. Saturday night, 7:00 here.
On defensive play
Well, it is an interesting game, just briefly I don’t want to get into a whole bunch of details, but basically Georgia had 10 possessions. They had one more than us because they got the onside kick where our two freshmen linebackers were – that’s bad coaching, Coach Robinson said, “I thought I had them inside the hash, Coach, but I didn’t, they were split.” We didn’t come close to getting that onside kick, so they got an extra possession on us. They had 10, scored five touchdowns and two field goals, in their 10, and we didn’t get any turnovers. We had nine possessions. We scored four touchdowns and a field goal, we fumbled on their 25 and left it on the one-foot line. So we had a chance, a little bit of a chance, to score seven of nine, but we didn’t do it. The way the game turned out, that’s what we had to do. But our third down defense was lousy. We can’t allow teams to make third-and-15s, fourth-and-12s, stuff like that. So we have revisited what we’re doing on third downs and try to be fundamentally more sound than what we’ve been doing and try to get our guys in better position because had a bad coaching day against Georgia, but they played well, they’re a good team. There’s nothing embarrassing about losing as long as you play smart and play with a lot of effort, so we didn’t do those two things.
On Jadeveon Clowney’s movement and teams playing away from him
We need to line up on that other side, and put about five guys over there and anticipate that they are going to run over there, that’s what we should do, but we couldn’t get lined up very well the other day. That’s my fault, we couldn’t get lined up, and after we get lined up, everybody’s got to play their gap a little bit better and do their responsibility and tackle. All good defensive teams are good tacklers, are good on third downs and good against the run; and we weren’t very good the last time out, so we will work on that and hopefully, we will show a lot of improvement this Saturday night.
On playing Vanderbilt
(We were) watching Vanderbilt tape and their defense is pretty similar year in and year out, so you wonder why (our) guys can’t figure it out and move the ball against them, but we don’t seem to ever move it very far. I think we beat them at home here three years ago 14-10, we hit two long passes and they ran a kickoff back that night, they didn’t have much offense either, but I guess that was four years ago. Two years ago, they didn’t hardly have any offense and we didn’t have much either that night, but they are very good on defense because they don’t make mistakes and they are disciplined and play with a lot of effort. So, I give them credit – they are a well-coached team and offensively they’ve got Jordan Matthews, the receiver, I think he’s one of the best in the country. (He) looks a little bit like Sidney Rice out there catching passes, although his hair isn’t quite as long as Sidney’s, y’all seen Sydney lately? I don’t think he’s had a haircut since he left South Carolina! Anyway, they’ve got a good player out there in Jordan Matthews.
On Nick Jones stepping out of Marcus Lattimore’s shadow
Nicky is in better shape. That’s the first thing I noticed in the spring or the summer. You’d think a guy about 5’7″ wouldn’t need to lose weight, but he needed to lose a little weight. But he’s quick! When we do our sprints after practice, he’s one of the first guys over and back. He’s in tip-top shape and he’s a really good route runner with good hands. So there’s a chance he can get featured a little more as we go.
Yea, he’s worked in the weightroom. He’s one of the strongest players on the team, he really made a strong commitment to be in tip-top shape, so Ronald has played very solidly.
On Mike Davis’ impact
I have been surprised on the long runs. We haven’t had any long runs around here. Marcus (Lattimore) had a few, 30 or 40 yarders, but usually that was about it. But he’s had two long ones in two weeks, 75, 75 to the five. Mike’s speed was something we didn’t really know about until he got ahead of those North Carolina guys and nobody caught him, that’s when we realized, hey, he’s got some speed and maybe we all didn’t know about. To be averaging a little more than nine yards a carry, that’s impressive right there.
